Howard Financial Services LTD. Has $706,000 Stake in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)

Howard Financial Services LTD. boosted its position in shares of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,815 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the period. Howard Financial Services LTD.’s holdings in Home Depot were worth $706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HD. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Home Depot in the second quarter worth about $47,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 36.0% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 136 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Home Depot by 111.3% in the second quarter. Semmax Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 150 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 70.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Home Depot Stock Performance

Shares of HD stock opened at $409.42 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $406.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.05. The Home Depot, Inc. has a 52 week low of $323.77 and a 52 week high of $439.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $406.51 and a 200-day moving average of $387.81.

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.64 by $0.14. Home Depot had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 452.60%. The company had revenue of $40.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.81 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Home Depot, Inc. will post 15.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Home Depot Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th were given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 27th. Home Depot’s payout ratio is currently 61.14%.

Insider Activity at Home Depot

In related news, EVP Teresa Wynn Roseborough sold 22,084 shares of Home Depot stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $408.91, for a total value of $9,030,368.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 20,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,343,399.64. This trade represents a 51.98 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Timothy A. Hourigan sold 16,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $409.52, for a total value of $6,553,958.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 77,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,727,562. This trade represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 38,188 shares of company stock valued at $15,624,585. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on HD. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Home Depot from $387.00 to $455.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $345.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $425.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $435.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Home Depot from $390.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $426.00.

Home Depot Profile

The Home Depot, Inc operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States and internationally. It sells various building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products, and décor products, as well as facilities maintenance, repair, and operations products. The company also offers installation services for flooring, water heaters, bath, garage doors, cabinets, cabinet makeovers, countertops, sheds, furnaces and central air systems, and windows.